KOLKATA (Metro Rail News): In this year’s Union Budget tabled in the Parliament, Kolkata Metro has been allotted Rs. 3220.25 Crores for different on-going Metro projects. This is a massive 164.77% higher than the 2022-2023 budget proposal of Rs. 1216.25 Crores.
The total Plan Outlay for Metro Railway has increased by an unprecedented 153.36% and is fixed at Rs. 3496.54 Crores.
As adequate funds are available, Metro Railway plans to open new Metro routes and extend existing routes in the year 2023. The New Garia to Hemanta Mukherjee stretch of New Garia to the Airport via the Rajarhat Metro Project (Orange Line) has already been inspected by the Commissioner of Railway Safety, N.F. It is expected that his mandatory approval to start the commercial services on this stretch will be received very soon.
After that nod, commercial services on this 5.4-km-long stretch will likely start in February 2023.
This stretch will be further extended to Salt Lake Sec-V (a length of 9.82- km) in October 2023. In addition, the Noapara to Bimanbandar stretch (7.04 km) of the Noapara-Bimanbandar- Barasat Metro Project (Yellow Line) will be inaugurated in the same month.
Commercial services on the Purple Line from Joka to Taratala have already started. This service will be further extended from Taratala to Majherhat (1.24 km) by October 2023.
Target has also been fixed to extend much-awaited Metro services from Sealdah to Howrah Maidan (7.25 km) by December this year. Once achieved, Metro will run for the first time under a mighty river like Hooghly in this country. As a result, commuters coming from the suburbs can reach places like Esplanade, Sealdah or Salt Lake quickly and smoothly without facing any traffic snarls.
Metro is planning to extend its wings very fast this year, and a total of 30.75 kms will be added to the Kolkata Metro network with the existing 47.93 kms.
Shri Arun Arora, General Manager, Metro Railway, has said, “These extensions and opening of new routes will be this year’s Puja Gift to the people of Kolkata.”
